I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

Chapter 175 Martial Arts Leader
"At the beginning of the year, I met old Gang Leader Hong in Liangzhou and had a drink with him. He was in good health, had a good appetite, and his alcohol tolerance was as amazing as before."

Yuju?

Now that is the territory of Western Xia. After leaving Huashan, Hong Qigong explored in the northwest direction. It seems that it is unlikely that the Gongping Sect is in Mongolia.

In fact, after knowing that Zhen Zhibing had been plotted against by the Gongping Cult in the Western Regions, Zhao Zhijing and Huang Rong speculated that perhaps Ding Chunqiu had returned to the Western Regions after escaping from Shaolin Temple.

After all, with Zhen Zhibing's identity and cultivation level, there was no need for the Gongping Sect to travel thousands of miles from the Central Plains to the Western Regions before taking action. It was more likely that they just happened to meet him and acted on impulse.

Moreover, the Xingxiu Sect of the old monster Ding Chunqiu was located in the Qinghai area. It is said that the Xingxiu Sea is located in an oasis in the wilderness. It is hundreds of miles in radius and is boundless with lakes and swamps of all sizes, which is very suitable for hiding.

"Over the past decade, Gang Leader Hong has killed many corrupt officials and bullies who brought disaster to the country and the people. His appearance in the Xixia area this time is also for an extremely important event."

"At that time, Gang Leader Hong told me that the Mongolian Tartars were heading south again, intending to annex our Song territory, and Xiangyang City would be the first place to bear the brunt of the attack."

"It is not feasible to rely on the court ruled by treacherous officials to protect the country and the people. Therefore, all disciples of the Beggars' Sect must remember the words loyalty and righteousness and fight the enemy with all their might!"

The Beggars' Clan members present were so excited that their blood boiled. They shouted in unison, "We will obey the orders of Old Clan Leader Hong until our death!"

When the cheers died down, Huang Rong raised her glass to toast the heroes present and said loudly, "Since Master Hong has given the order, the Beggars' Sect will do its utmost to resist foreign aggression!"

"Now all the heroes in the world have gathered in Lujia Village. They are all loyal and righteous. We should work together to come up with a proper plan to teach the Mongolian Tartars a lesson so that they will never dare to fight again."

Huang Rong spoke these words passionately, and most of those who accepted the invitation to the heroes' banquet were brave men, and they immediately nodded in agreement.

A few scheming people also knew that when the nest is overturned, no eggs will remain intact. Once Xiangyang City fell, there would be no more strategic passes to stop the Mongolian cavalry from marching south, and everyone would be in great danger.

Therefore, the hall was filled with responses, and many people were so excited that they wanted to fight the Mongolian soldiers to the death immediately.

Zhao Zhijing looked at Yang Guo who was also infected by this atmosphere, and thought that the Southern Song Dynasty was in a state of despair and could only survive for a few decades thanks to the benevolent and righteous people in the world. No one could save the situation.

At this moment, a tall old man with a white beard spoke with a voice as loud as a bell, drowning out the voices of everyone else's discussions.

"As the saying goes, a snake cannot survive without a head. We now have the will to kill the enemy, but we are a group of dragons without a leader."

"In my opinion, if there is no hero who can convince the people to lead the way, there will be obstacles everywhere and it will be difficult to accomplish great things."

"Today, heroes from all over the world have gathered here. It is time to elect a leader who is trusted and supported by everyone. If everyone follows his orders, we will surely be able to win the battle!"

Everyone thought what he said made sense, and they cheered in unison. Someone even shouted, "You should be the leader. There is no need to nominate anyone else!"

The old man waved his hands and laughed, "My old bones weigh less than 3 taels, how can I take on such an important task?"

"Everyone in the martial arts world knows that the most outstanding martial artists in the world have always been led by the five masters in the east, west, south, north and center."

"However, the Central God Chongyang has long passed away, the East Evil Huang Island Master has always been a loner, the West Poison Ouyang Feng is not a chivalrous man, and the Southern Emperor Duan Huangye was born in Dali, not a citizen of the Song Dynasty."

"So the most appropriate leader of the martial arts world is Old Gang Leader Hong Qigong, the Northern Beggar."

Hong Qigong has been in power for decades and has always been a figure like Taishan Beidou in the martial arts world. Naturally, he is the popular choice and no one thinks there is any objection. At this moment, a very rough voice suddenly came from the crowd, "Master Hong is a martial arts master with great virtue and high prestige. The position of the leader of the martial arts world belongs to him."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, but they could only hear the voice but not see the person. Someone asked suspiciously, "Who is speaking?"

This man was none other than the Jiangzhou hero who had spoken up for Zhao Zhijing in public two days ago, "Shorty Lion" Lei Meng. Because of his short stature, he was blocked by the people next to him and could not be seen by others.

Lei Meng also had a hot temper. He immediately jumped up and stood on the table. When others saw him climbing up so high and being almost as tall as the old man, they couldn't help but laugh.

"But Master Hong has always been elusive. Just now, a friend from the Beggars' Sect said that the last time he showed up was in Xixia, thousands of miles away."

"The Mongols may attack Xiangyang at any time. What will we do if Master Hong is not here?"

Those who were originally laughing secretly, when they saw that Lei Meng's words were well-reasoned and powerful, immediately put away their contempt.

"Since we chose this martial arts leader purely for the sake of loyalty and righteousness, why not elect a deputy leader under Old Gang Leader Hong, who can issue orders when Old Gang Leader Hong is not available."

This statement made sense, and someone immediately responded, "Of course it must be Hero Guo Jing. He is the disciple of Gang Leader Hong, so he is the perfect match."

Then someone else shouted, "The Beggars' Sect Leader Huang is very resourceful and has made the Beggars' Sect prosperous over the past ten years. He is also a disciple of the old leader Hong. I agree that Leader Huang should take the position of deputy leader!"

"Master Lu was originally the leader of the Taihu heroes. He was well known for his heroic struggle against the Jin army. This time, he generously donated money and took on the responsibility of the Heroes Conference. I think Master Lu is the best candidate for the deputy leader!"

The heroes were discussing it, saying all sorts of things, "Master Ma, the head of the Quanzhen Sect, is the best at convincing the people!" "Daoist Zhao from the Zuowang Temple on the Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Huashan is also a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. He has done a lot of great things in recent years. How can we miss him as the deputy leader?"

Guan Changhong, Chen Bao, and other heroes from Guanzhong had the same idea. They immediately agreed loudly, and their momentum overwhelmed everyone else present.

Guo Jing and his wife usually lived on Peach Blossom Island and rarely interacted with people in the martial arts world. At this time, only a few members of the Beggars' Sect were present.
The owner of Lujiazhuang, Lu Guanying, has mediocre martial arts skills;

Ma Yu, the head of Quanzhen Sect, has not been seen in public for many years.

Therefore, there was a strong call for Zhao Zhijing to be the deputy leader. Guo Jing smiled calmly, looking happy to see the outcome. Although Huang Rong felt that Guo Jing was more suitable, Zhao Zhijing shared the same aspirations as the two of them, so this result was not unacceptable.

On the contrary, people like Wu Yunbai, who had a grudge against Zhao Zhijing, opposed it for various reasons.

"At this time, Quanzhen Sect's Guangning Zhenren and Qingjing Sanren were present. How could Zhao Zhijing, as a disciple, do such a thing?"

"It is true that Zhao Zhijing is better than the Red Snake Fairy Li Mochou, but other than that, what other outstanding deeds does he have?"

"When Erlong Mountain was razed, the hero Guo Jing was also present. How can the blame be entirely on Zhao Zhijing?"

Faced with all kinds of doubts, Yang Guo could no longer help but tell the story of his master's fight with Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong at Jade Maiden Peak.

But Zhao Zhijing came forward first and wanted to calm the dispute.

(End of this chapter)